Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Crew 103 and Detachment Two from the “Magicians” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron Three Five (HSM-35) are scheduled to depart San Diego for Singapore Feb. 8 to relieve LCS Crew 104 on USS Fort Worth (LCS 3) as part of a 16-month rotational deployment in support of the US Navy’s strategic rebalance to the Pacific.
Fort Worth is the first LCS to deploy under the “3-2-1” manning concept, swapping fully trained crews roughly every four months. This concept will allow Fort Worth to deploy six months longer than Freedom, which swapped crews once in 10 months, extending LCS forward presence and reducing crew fatigue for the 16-month deployment.
Fast, agile and mission-focused, littoral combat ships are designed to operate in near-shore environments and employ modular mission packages that can be configured for surface warfare, mine countermeasures, or anti-submarine warfare.
Image: US Navy